Ann Svärdfelt: A Field of Swords
It’s our pleasure to introduce you to Ann Svärdfelt. Many of you know her as the proprietor of the Santosha Cafe. Her experience of Mysore is unique. She came to Ashtanga Yoga later in life, already with small children, and as a responsible adult. She stepped into the practice from a very different space than many of us, who were in somewhat of a state of arrested development, bugged out drop outs, wannabe hippies, overgrown, and still living with our parents.
Ann didn’t have these advantages (if you could call them that) but had all of the sincerity and devotion, and most certainly Sharath saw this in her and you could say that’s what’s most important to him — the heart of his student.
So, especially for Ann, balancing practice with renunciation was critical. It’s important to practice and at the same time let go of the outcome. That’s easier when there is no low hanging fruit, no golden fleece to achieve. Jason sailed across the Seas with his giants, his Argonauts, with every expectation to spectacular achievement. That was many of us — we thought.
We thought 3rd Series would be an easy win. Would bestow us with some special powers.
But what of the meek tho?
What of tender of the hearth, the provider of a family, who is seeking the humble lesson of learning to let go through their personal experience inside their simple yoga practice?
Comparing one’s own practice with other people is a complete waste of time, since we are all different.
Ann emphasizes that it’s good to just listen to oneself and try to follow the energy that rises.
Ann is also an Ayurvedic consultant prescribing remedies based on pulse diagnosis and principles of holistic life balance. We hope that sitting with her will allow you a gentle space to value the little victories of a life cherished for what it is.
Find Out More About Ann Svärdfelt
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The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.”
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